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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. squash — to crush
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a music group
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. date — the fruit
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. band — a ring
  18. perch — the fish
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. clip — a video
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com